Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1887-02-10
A RAILWAY HORROR.
A Vermont Passenger Train Thrown
From a Bridge.
Fifty Persons Killed or burned q
Death and Many More
Injured.

CONCORD, N. H.. Feb. THE express
train that left Boston Friday evening, met
with terrible accident near Woodstock,
ON tho Central Vermont railroad. at
$50 next morning, The train started
from this city on time, but was detained
at White River Junction. so II was about
an hour and half late when IL left there,
The train consisted of u locomotive, bag.
gage car, postal car, two passenger cars
and two sleeping cars, and was running
at the usual rate Of speed. When about
200 yards south of the end of deep
bridge near Old Windsor station, q broken
rail was struck
The locomotive, baggage car and pos.
tai car broke away from the rest Of the
train. passing over the bridge In safety
The rest of the train was thrown from
the rails and continued on the road bed
until II came near the end OF the bridge,
but there il ran over the abutmcnt, and
all of the cars fell into White river some
| 30 feet below. The gorge at this point is
| frightful and when the cars went down
there was frigh,ful crash, AS soon MS
possible the detached part Of the train
was stopped and run back TO the scene Of
the disaster, The screams of the injured
was heartrending. Assistance also came
from people living in the vicinity and
everything was done to rescue and relieve
the injured Soon after help arrived, fire
, was discovered in the first passenger
coach and soon the entire train was
ablaze, thus adding new horror to the al.
ready frightful catastrophe, Those pres.
ent were powerless to stop the fire and
devoted themselves entirely to attempting
TO rescue those imprisoned,
The rescuers met another and unex'
pected obstacle In the heat which became
SO intense that they were obliged 10 re,
| linquish their efforts TO save the sufferers
and were compelled 10 retreat TO place
Of safety for themselves and became UNI
willing and horror.striaken witnesses Of
the holocaust. In addition 10 this and to
add to the terrors and suiferings of the
| passengers the weather was intensely
| cold, and the heroic resCuers were hinder,
ed thereby In their work. No water
could be obtained with which 10 check or
extinguish the flames, The Ice was sew.
| eral inches thick on the river, and there
were no appliances at hand to raise Ii,
| Twenty-six persons, so far as known,
were taken out alive from the cars which
were burned Two Of these are under.
stood to be the NELSON'S, pistol manufac
turers Of Springfield, aud Ed Brockle,
bank, a brakeman, but they died soon af.
ter Two passenger coaches We're well
filed Every berth In the Boston sleep.
ing car was occupied and l2 in the one
from Springfield, making the total num-
Der of passengers in the cars about so
| This will probably make the number OF
dead between 30 aud 60
The bridge was between 80 and 40 feet
above the water, which was covered with
thick ice, making IL probable that death
resulted from crushing and burning
rather than from drowning, Seycra
were penned up In the wreck who might
have been rescued alive but for tn,
flames. Brakeman Parker, who was OF
the forward end Of the first passenger
car, felt the jar and saved his life. b.
Jumping He quickly secured a convey
ance and carried the news to White Rive
junction.
WORCESTER, Mass, Feb SC w
Bowkcr, a commission merchant OF thi
city, was on the down train from Mon
treal on the 9th and passed several hour
at the scene of the wreck The scene a
the bridge beggars description. He say
the burned timbers OF the bridge ant
cars and charred bodies of the victim
arc scattered over the ice, The GROVE
assembled was enormous. One MAJ
came to me while stood there gazing q
the fearful sight. and pointing al tn
middle Of the ruins, said; MY brothe
lies in there, burned TO death He wa
not hurt much, think, but was hemmc'
in frightfully. worked with MI m
might to save him, but II was no use
Tho fire drove me back and he persisted.